≪說文解字≫ ‘女’ 부수자에 투사된 고대 중국인의 여성관

Abstract

This article divides the secondary letters of “女” in “Shuo wen Jie zi(說文解字)” into matrilineal and patrilineal and selects Chinese characters at the issue of social and cultural characteristics. Through these Chinese characters, we can understand ancient Chinese customs and women’s views in that times. In the period of matrilineal society, women played an absolute role in the relationship between blood and the gens, and thus were both objects of worship and symbols of clan authority. Such as a view of the woman at that time is projected on including “姓” and old surname(古姓), letters of “女” related to the female heroes representing the family. The development of monogamous marriage(一夫一妻) shows that the inheritance of descent has been transformed into a male-centered relationship, which is related to the increase of male power. The traces of predatory marriage are projected on “婚” and “娶”, from which we can infer the changes in women’s status at that time. In “嫁”, the trace of buying a marriage are retained, so it can be said that the perception of women of that time also since then influenced “嫁” and “姻” naming marriage. “媒” and “妁” reflect the characteristics of monogamous marriages in ancient Chinese society. Because monogamous marriages was established by the decision of the parents and the words of the matchmaker rather than the two parties. In the patriarchy-centered society , men are considered to have a higher status than women. For this reason, a typical female image was created that matched Confucian ideals and justified the obedience and subordination of women. The letters accompanying “女” parts are related to the appearance, form and behavior of women, reflecting the ideal image of a woman pursued by patriarchy-centered society. The “女” parts that represent bad tempers or immoral behaviors such as greed, luxury, jealousy, or adultery have in common that even if these sexual orientations and behaviors are not related to gender, they all subordinate to “女” part. Therefore, these letters can be regarded as a concrete expressing the feudal society’s disregard and disrespect for women.